The Himalayas. Imagination suggests they are so high that one can see them from anywhere in Nepal. Nope. It takes me more than two weeks to reach their foothills. Rain clouds obscure their peaks. Every morning I get up hoping to see something. Every morning I see nothing.

We set out on a trek. For three days, step by step, we walk further and further. All the time up. All the time ahead. With no shower, with no electricity, with little faith in a happy ending. Sometimes, between the clouds, some peaks show up. The ultimate night sky clears up. We are greeted by a sunny morning. On the left is Annapurna South, on the right Machhapuchre. They look at us with dignity. In four more hours we will reach 4500m above sea level. Apart from a pile of stones and a pervasive fog, we will see nothing.